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You are here: Home / Resources / Hammer Tacker vs Staple Gun
Hammer Tacker vs Staple Gun

Hammer Tacker vs Staple Gun

November 24, 2021 By Andrew Morgan Leave a Comment

When you do lots of DIY projects and you deal with fabric often, then you will need a good stapler for fastening tasks. A staple gun can be used for such tasks, but you can also use a hammer tacker. These tools may be used for different projects, such as securing carpet padding, poster boarding, screening, fencing, fabric, and ceiling tile. The two can also be used on wire and weather stripping.

There are different staplers that fire fasteners to secure a poster to a bulletin board, shingles or felting to a roof, or carpet to the floor.  These come in electric, pneumatic, or manual. However, what is the difference between a hammer tacker and a staple gun?

What is a Staple Gun?

The design of a staple gun resembles that of a gun. You need to hold the grip using one hand and use the other hand to place and secure the fabric or the item you are fastening. It is also known as a trigger gun, even though the name is preserved for manual staple guns that are powered by a spring. Once you close your hand on the grip, you will compress the trigger and activate the spring mechanism that drives the gun.

Manual staple guns can be designed for light-duty while pneumatic and electric staple guns are heavy-duty models. Manual staple guns are very affordable but you will get hand and fingers fatigue because you will need to squeeze the trigger when working. However, a staple gun does not require much space to use.

What is a Hammer Tacker?

While using a hammer tacker, you do not fire the tack from a gun but rather you will use the tool like a hammer and the staple is the nail. You do not need electrical power or a spring system that may malfunction. All you need is nailing the staples.

The staples are inserted through the handle and you will swing it to where you need to staple. You do not necessarily need to hold the staple using the other hand to drive it. However, using a hammer tacker will not offer the opportunity to put the staple where you exactly want it. Practicing and gaining experience helps you to learn to put the staple pretty much where you precisely want it.

You will require a bit of space to swing back the hammer and drive staples forcefully. If you are in a congested area or you are in an awkward position, the hammer tacker will not function properly. However, a hammer tucker is a great tool if you are tacking down carpet padding, vapor barriers among other large materials.

Staples Used in a Staple Gun

A light staple gun can load in three staple sizes; ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, and 3/8 inch. However, it is important to bear in mind that a staple gun normally accepts staples that are made by the same manufacturer. On the other hand, a heavy-duty staple gun can load ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, 3/8 inch, ½ inch, and 9/16 inch staples.

Staples used in a Hammer Tacker

A light-duty hammer tacker requires ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, and 3/8 inch staples. On the other hand, a heavy-duty hammer tacker uses ¼ inch, 5/16 inch, 3/8 inch, and ½ inch staples. There are extra heavy-duty hammer tackers that can drive heavy gauge ¾ inch staples. More than often, these hammer tackers are used to put down roofing shingles.

Therefore, you should consider getting a heavy-duty hammer tacker because you can use more types of staples. Although light-duty hammer tackers are much lighter and heavy-duty hammer tackers are twice as heavy. You can get tired faster when using a heavy-duty hammer tacker.

Differences between a hammer tacker and a staple gun

A staple gun works with a trigger while a hammer tacker works like a hammer. A staple gun comes with a handle that you squeeze to trigger the spring mechanism and fire fasteners. Manual staple guns are good for smaller projects while electric and pneumatic staple guns are best used for larger projects.

A hammer tacker looks more like a hammer than a stapler. It does not have a handle to squeeze staples but the momentum of the arm of the user is what drives the staples in the material. The loading is similar to a staple gun where you only need to pull out the magazine and place the staples. Hammer tackers are a great choice if you want to cover up with roof felt, carpet padding, moisture barriers, insulation, or house wrap. Also, they are great when you have a lot of ground that needs covering because you can work fast.

Final thoughts

You can choose a hammer tacker or a staple gun depending on the kind of project you have at hand. This article has provided details regarding what you use each tool for and also it has described the similarities and differences of a hammer tacker and a staple gun. 

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